Governor of Florida
David Jolly
Former U.S. Representative, Florida's 13th District (2014–2017)D
- Race
- Governor of Florida
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponents
- Byron Donalds (R); Scott Jewett (LIB); Charles Burkett (IND); Frank J. Russo (IND); Moliere "Moe" Dimanche (IND); Dean Ocean Abrams (IND); Jeffrey Peter "Dr. Jeff" Datto (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did5 statements · 0 votes
Absent federal legislation restoring these protections, Florida should codify the Roe/Casey framework.
Protect legal access to abortion
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| Byron Donalds R | challenger |
| David Jolly D | challenger |
| Scott Jewett LIB | challenger |
| Charles Burkett IND | challenger |
| Frank J. Russo IND | challenger |
| Moliere "Moe" Dimanche IND | challenger |
| Dean Ocean Abrams IND | challenger |
| Jeffrey Peter "Dr. Jeff" Datto IND | challenger |
Running with Lt. Gov. candidate Gwen Graham, a former U.S. representative. Won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary with 61.0%.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Absent federal legislation restoring these protections, Florida should codify the Roe/Casey framework.
Says Florida should codify the Roe/Casey framework if Congress does not restore it federally.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Florida should ban the sale of assault weapons, require universal and comprehensive background checks, explore licensing, and preserve and expand the red flag laws enacted following the tragedy at Parkland.
Calls for banning assault-weapon sales, universal background checks, exploring licensing, and preserving and expanding red flag laws.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Florida should commit to expanding Medicaid and ensuring healthcare for all Floridians.
Calls for Florida to expand Medicaid.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Florida should accept the science of climate change, protect our beaches and state parks, and invest in resiliency throughout the state.
Says Florida should accept climate science, invest in resiliency, and require greater integration of clean energy in public utilities.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
The voucher program should be means-tested to ensure funding is provided for families with demonstrated economic need.
Calls for increased funding for public schools and for holding voucher schools to public-school standards, and says the voucher program should be means-tested.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
David Jolly is the Democratic nominee for governor, running with former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham. He represented Florida's 13th District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017, left the party in 2018, and joined the Democratic Party in 2025. His platform includes a state catastrophic-risk fund for property insurance, Medicaid expansion, a moratorium on hyperscale data centers, campaign-finance and ethics reform, and codifying the Roe/Casey abortion framework in Florida law.[1][2][3]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Jolly earned a B.A. from Emory University in 1994 and a J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 2001.[1][5] He was a staff member for Rep. Bill Young from 1994 to 2006.[5]
Jolly represented Florida's 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House as a Republican from March 14, 2014, to January 3, 2017.[1][5] He later served as an independent from 2018 to 2022, was a member of the Forward Party from 2022 to 2025, and has been a Democrat since 2025.[1] In 2022 he announced the formation of the Forward Party with Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman.[5]
Jolly is an attorney who served for nearly a decade as a political analyst on NBC and MSNBC.[6] He and his wife are raising their family in Pinellas County.[6]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- vote2015-02-03 · Voted yes on H.R. 596, the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which passed the House 239–186.[7]
- vote2016-01-06 · Voted yes on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 3762, the fiscal-year 2016 budget reconciliation bill; it passed 240–181.[8]
- bill2016-02-03 · Sponsored H.R. 4443, the Stop Act, which would bar federal officeholders from directly soliciting contributions to or on behalf of political committees; he gave introductory remarks on the floor and no further action followed.[9]
In their own words
Priorities
- Affordability and insurance: a state catastrophic fund to remove natural-disaster risk from the private insurance market and a state-backed loan program for condominium repairs.[4]
- Health care: expand Medicaid in Florida.[4]
- A day-one moratorium on hyperscale data centers until environmental and water impacts are studied.[4]
- Campaign finance and ethics reform, and easier access to the ballot for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments.[4]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/david-jolly
Compare all 8 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.David Jolly · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Issues: David Jolly's Policy Positions for Florida · David Jolly for Florida · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 3.David Jolly for Florida · David Jolly for Florida · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 4.Issues: David Jolly's Policy Positions for Florida · David Jolly for Florida · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 5.David Jolly · Ballotpedia Reference
- 6.About David Jolly · David Jolly for Florida · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 7.Roll Call 58, H.R. 596 (repeal of the Affordable Care Act), February 3, 2015 · U.S. House Clerk · 2026-10-19 Official record
- 8.Roll Call 6, H.R. 3762 (2016 budget reconciliation), January 6, 2016 · U.S. House Clerk · 2026-10-19 Official record
- 9.H.R. 4443 — Stop Act · Congress.gov · 2026-10-19 Official record